Overall the cruise was a good experience. The excursions were generally quite good and the ship's crew/ staff were very good.
However, there was a major problem on this cruise. The WiFi and Internet service provided onboard was terrible. I spent most days onboard working with the computer service staff trying to get WiFi service and Internet access. I often went 3-5 days without any Internet access at all. This was the worst WiFi and Internet service we have ever experienced on any ocean or river cruise. Near the end of the cruise, an IT specialist came on board in Helsinki to repair some of the satellite and WiFi hardware. This helped a bit but the service was still not very good.
The IT staff said that Marina was going into dry dock for service that would include improving the WiFi and Internet service. This is urgently needed.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The embarkation staff in Copenhagen were great making the check-in go smoothly
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room and terrace cafe offer a good dining experience. The specialty restaurants were all excellent.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The onboard activities like golf, shuffleboard, table tennis, etc. were enjoyable and provide a way to meet other cruise participants
Entertainment
We did not attend the entertainment shows
Children's Programs
No children with us
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The ship's staff all provided excellent service for their clients
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Marina is a good-sized cruise ship, not too small and big enough to be comfortable. The crew did a good job keeping the ship in good shape
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The stateroom was a good size and was well maintained
Ship tip
Check with the dining staff about adding extra nights in specialty restaurants as the food is excellent. You can request extra times and if space is available you can get a bonus
St Petersburg has so much to offer that the two days allowed here was too short. Oceania needs to extend the visit to St Petersburg to three days. There is a wealth of excursion activities available but impossible to see in only two days. They can skip Helsinki in return for more time here.
The tour in Helsinki was the worst of our cruise. We had a walking tour described as a moderate 2 mile walk that turned out to be almost 5 miles long. We walked around town and only visited inside the Rock Church. The guide was terrible and we didn't learn very much about Helsinki. Overall, this excursion was a total was of time. We would gladly skip a visit to Helsinki in return for an extra day in St Petersburg
We took a bus tour of the countryside around Visby and a walking tour of Visby. The tour included a visit to a farm for a tasting of some local cheese but didn't show any of the farm facilities for producing milk, cheese, ice cream, etc. The farm visit was a total waste of time and used up so much time driving that the visit to a fishing port consisted of a drive thru without stopping. By the time we returned to Visby, we had to cut short the walking tour of the city because so much time was wasted driving around the countryside without much benefit
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